Process for wet treatment and subsequent drying of a textile web

ABSTRACT

A process for wet treatment of fabric web including steps of washing, liquid removal, drying and airing, in which shrinking takes place in wet treatment zone before web is laid evenly on transport means for drying. Apparatus for carrying out the process provides essential treatment stations and mesh belt or suction drum transport means for conveying the web to be treated through each of the successive stages of treatment.

United States Patent [191 Schuierer [451 May1,1973

PROCESS FoR WET TREATMENT AND SUBSEQUENT DRYING OF A TEXTILE WEB Inventor: Manfred Schuierer, Erbach/Odenwald, Germany Bruckner-Apparatebau Michelstadt GmbH, Erbach/Odenwald, Germany Filed: Mar. 17, 1971 App1.No.: 125,177

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 2, 1 970 Germany ..P 20 15 759.9

7 Feb. 25, 1971 Germany .......G 71 07 117.5

US. Cl. ,...8/l51, 8/152, 26/185, 68/19.l, 68/20, 68/177, 68/205 R Int. Cl .,D06c 1/08 Field of Search ..8/-137, 142, 147,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,584,753 2/1952 Spooner ..26/18.5 2,817,227 12/1957 Eriksson.... 138/20 3,235,932 2/1966 Jones ..26/18.5 3,528,763 9/1970 Runton 8/1491 X Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Assistant Examiner-Phi1ip R. Coe AltorneyGeorge F. Dvorak and Marden S. Gordon [57] ABSTRACT A process for wet treatment of fabric web including steps of washing, liquid removal, drying and airing, in which shrinking takes place in wet treatment zone before web is laid evenly on transport means for drying. Apparatus for carrying out the process provides essential treatment stations andmesh belt or suction drum transport means for conveying the web to be treated through each of the successive stages of treatment.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures.

QWQG QEI Q 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 2

EW W C9 13 I" 7 J Q Patented May 1, 1973 2 SheetsShaet 2 PROCESS FOR-WET TREATMENT AND SUBSEQUENT DRYING OF A TEXTILE WEB This invention relates to a process for wet treatment of a textile web with an organic solvent and also to subsequent drying of the textile web with a hot air stream.

It is known to wash textile webs in aqueous baths and subsequently, after squeezing out part of the adhering washing liquid if necessary, to dry the web by means of a hot air stream. Since the web shrinks to a greater or lesser extent during the drying process, separate transport means were usually provided for the textile web in the washing and drying zones respectively. Such equipment involved considerable expense and required a large amount of floor space.

In the manufacture of fabrics of high elasticity, it is furthermore known first to pass the web through a shrinking bath and subsequently to lay it in folds on a mesh belt, on which the actual shrinking of the web takes place. A disadvantage of the procedure is that the web must be laid on the mesh belt in folds, which under certain circumstances can lead to undesired blemishes on the web.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved process, and also for the carrying out of the process a suitable apparatus, wherein the textile web can shrink unhindered in the wet treatment zone and wherein a relatively simple transport means through the drying zone is used.

According to the present invention a process for wet treatment of a textile web with an organic solvent and subsequent drying of the textile web with a hot air stream is characterized in that the textile web is first completely shrunk in hot solvent, and is then laid evenly on a web transport means through which air can pass, said transport means conveying the textile web through a further processing zone.

Whereas formerly shrinking of the web took place during the hot air drying stage, in the process of this invention, the shrinking takes place earlier, in the wet treatment stage (for example before or during the washing process). It has been ascertained by experiment that with a hotorganic solvent (for example with chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchlorethylene and dichlorethylene) having a boiling point greater than 100 C, complete shrinking of the web can be ob tained without any further shrinking with later wet or dry treatment.

Because the shrinking process now takes place at an earlier stage in the treatment of the web than previously, the fully shrink textile web is laid evenly on the web transport means. Consequently, the textile web can now run between a pair of rollers to remove the solvent swiftly. Moreover by laying the web evenly on the web transport means undesirable blemishes occuring during the drying process are avoided.

The web transport means preferably comprises a mesh belt or a suction drum. The shrinking process conveniently takes place in a trough of hot solvent.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more apparent from the following description, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 show longitudinal sections of three respective embodiments of an apparatus for carrying out the process according to the invention.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 comprises a shrinking zone 1, a washing zone 2, a zone 3 for web, a drying zone 4 and an airing zone 5.

The shrinking zone 1 consists of a bath 6, for example of U-shape, filled with hot organic solvent, through which the textile web 7 freely moves and within which it completely shrinks.

A mesh belt 8 then carries the web through zones 2 to 5. The textile web 7, having shrunk completely in the shrinking zone 1, is laid evenly, that is without folds, on the mesh belt 8. In the washing zone 2 organic solvent is sprayed by spray means 9 on to the textile web 7. The washing fluid dripping from the web is collected in a container 10 which is situated between upper and lower runs of the mesh belt. The textile web 7, carried by the mesh belt 8, then runs between a pair of coacting rollers 11 which mechanically squeeze out a large part of the solvent still remaining in the web.

In the drying zone 4 the textileweb 7 is dried by means of a recirculating hot air stream. To avoid over saturation of this drying air stream with the vapor of the organic solvent, part of the air is continuously sucked out of the zone 4 and passed through a condensation device in which the solvent is removed.

In the airing zone 5 the textile web 7 is subjected to a clean air stream which removes any solvent still remaining in the web. The air sucked from the zone 5 is preferably passed through an adsorption device to remove the solvent held therein.

The embodiment of FIG. 1 may be modified by omitting the washing zone 2, the washing process instead taking place in the bath 6. In this case the fully shrunk web then runs from the washing and shrinking zone (bath 6) first between the pair of coacting rollers 11 mechanically removing the solvent, and is then dried by hot air in the drying zoned.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 comprises a different shrinking zone 1" and zone 3' for mechanical removal of solvent from the washed textile web, while the zones 2, 4 and 5 are similarto those of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

- The textile web 7 is carried through the shrinking zone 1' by two endless-circulating; tenter chains which may be provided for example with needle carriers which engage longitudinal edges of the web. The textile web, in known manner, in small folds is engaged by the needles of the tenter chains so that the web can fully shrink in the zone 1' as desired. The hot solvent is, in this embodiment, sprayed onto the textile web 7 in the shrinking zone 1' through spray means 13. A container 14 collects the liquid dripping from the web. The zone 1' is preferably heated so that the hot solvent is not appreciably cooled before it contacts the web 7.

The mechanical removal of the surface liquid carried by the textile web'7 after leaving the washing zone 2 is effected in the embodiment of FIG. 2 by a pressure air stream which is supplied in zone 3' by a group of nozzles I5 and through which the web is passed. It will be understood that alternatively a suction air stream may be used. The removal of the organic solvent from the textile web by such an air stream is favored by the relatively high specific gravity of the solvent.

In both embodiments the same solvent can, of course, be used for the shrinking and washing procedures. However if necessary different additives can still be used in the two zones. For example it may be desirable to add a swelling agent to the organic solvent used in the shrinking zone.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 comprises two chambers 22 and 23 in a common housing 21, of which chamber 22 is a washing and shrinking zone and chamber 23 is a solvent removing and drying zone. The chamber 22 includes a trough 24 which is filled with a hot organic solvent.

A perforated drum 25 is provided in the chamber 23 which is divided into three sectors 26, 27, 28, each sector having a peripheral zone in contact with the textile web 33. Rollers 29, 30, 31, 32 serve to guide the textile web 33. In the region of the perforated drum 25, two tenter chains 34 (indicated as a dotted line) engaging respective edges of the textile web 33 may be provided.

The textile web 33 first passes through the trough 24 for a sufficient time that it can shrink freely and completely. It then passes in to the perforated drum 25 and the solvent is first mechanically removed by a suction air stream (indicated at 35) in the sector 26. In the following sector 27 the textile web is then dried by a hot air stream (indicated at 36). Said hot air stream is supplied by heating means adjacent sector 27 of the drum (not shown). In the third sector 28 the textile web is aired (indicated at 37) and thereby any remaining solvent is removed.

What is claimed is: 1. A process for wet treatment of a textile web with an organic solvent comprising the steps of:

shrinking the textile web by transporting the textile web through hot organic solvent for the complete shrinking thereof; laying the shrunk textile web evenly on a movable porous transporting means; washing the textile web carried on the transporting means with a liquid as it is transported through a washing means; removing the excess washing liquid from the washed textile web carried on the transporting means as it is transported through a washing liquid removal means;

drying the textile web carried on the transporting means as it is transported through a drying means; and

airing the textile web carried on the transporting means after drying as it is transported through an airing means.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the washing liquid used in the step of washing is the same organic solvent used for the step of shrinking.

3. A process according to claim 1 wherein the washing liquid is an organic solvent, and the step of washing includes spraying the organic solvent onto the textile web.

4. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of removing the washing liquid includes passing the textile web between adjacent coacting rollers for squeezing the textile web therebetween for removing the liquid therefrom.

5. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of shrinking the textile Web includes filling a trough with hot solvent; and passing the textile web loosely through the trough of hot solvent.

6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of shrinking the textile web includes placing the textile web loosely on a conveying means; and spraying hot solvent onto the textile web being carried on the conveying means.

7. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of removing the washing liquid includes forcing a stream of air through the textile web to remove the liquid therefrom.

8. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of airing includes forcing a stream of air through the textile web. 

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the washing liquid used in the step of washing is the same organic solvent used for the step of shrinking.
 3. A process according to claim 1 wherein the washing liquid is an organic solvent, and the step of washing includes spraying the organic solvent onto the textile web.
 4. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of removing the washing liquid includes passing the textile web between adjacent coacting rollers for squeezing the textile web therebetween for removing the liquid therefrom.
 5. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of shrinking the textile web includes filling a trough with hot solvent; and passing the textile web loosely through the trough of hot solvent.
 6. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of shrinking the textile web includes placing the textile web loosely on a conveying means; and spraying hot solvent onto the textile web being carried on the conveying means.
 7. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of removing the washing liquid includes forcing a stream of air through the textile web to remove the liquid therefrom.
 8. A process according to claim 1 wherein the step of airing includes forcing a stream of air through the textile web. 